Deadline extended to Jan. 5 for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day contest entries

The deadline for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day poster and essay contest entries has been extended due to inclement weather. The new deadline is noon on Thursday, Jan. 5.

Sponsored by the Brookings Human Rights Commission, the annual contests are designed to encourage participants to reflect on King’s ideas and the effect on the community through their entry in either the poster contest or the essay contest.

- Poster Contest: The poster contest is for Brookings County K-5 students and participants from ADVANCE. The theme is: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” Entries must be submitted to the entrant’s school office, the ADVANCE offices, or to the Brookings City & County Government Center at 520 Third St., Suite 230.

- Essay Contest: The essay contest is for Brookings County middle and high school students and participants from ADVANCE. The theme is: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Essays and entry information must be emailed to [email protected].

Detailed contest instructions and entry forms are available on the Human Rights Commission page on the city’s website at bit.ly/MLKHRC23 or by email at [email protected].  

Winners will be presented with cash prizes and certificates at the Brookings City Council meeting on Jan. 24. All poster entries will be scanned and shown on the city website and the City’s Government Channel (Mediacom and Swiftel Channel 9). Original posters will be displayed at the Brookings Public Library and at South Dakota State University. 

About the Brookings Human Rights Commission

The Brookings Human Rights Commission (BHRC) is charged by the Brookings City Council to improve human relations and civil rights in the Brookings area by fighting discrimination through educational efforts and a complaint resolution procedure. The commission has the power to investigate complaints alleging discrimination against individuals or groups because of their sex, race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, disability, familial status or national origin, with respect to employment, labor union membership, housing accommodations, property rights, education, public accommodations, or public services. For more information regarding the BHRC, please contact any commission member, call City Hall at (605) 692-6281, or email [email protected].